Score-indicating ball-return game



Jan- 4 1927- ESMARIAN SCORE INDICATING BALL RETURN GAME Filed Jan. 50, 1926 mwmww INVENTOR.

By CHAKLESESM/iR/fl/Y ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 4, 1927. I

UNITED STAT amass manner, or cmr'ron, m mnsar.

scoan-n'rmca'rme BALL-RETURN mam.

Application and January :0, me. Serial no. same.

This invention relates to aagame board and in particular to one adapt tobepla ed by projecting, a pluralitgmof balls so they will roll over a tally ard to register a score.

The articular object of the invention is to provide a game board which is operable from one end and upon which a game score can beaccumulated during play, the board being so arranged that the non-scoring balls can be used over again or canbe brought to a position adjacent the players: end of the board.

A further object of the invention is to provide a game board which can be used at a counter as in summer resorts which is so arranged that skill must be exercised in projecting the balls to a certain point before there is any the game being more persons may tition. A further object of the invention is to rovide a game: having associated therewith countersjupon which the score may be kept track of, and ii desirable the game may have embodied therein a series of electric lights which will be selectively l1ghted depending upon which ball does the scoring.

A further object of the invention is to so arrange the game board that skill mustbe exercised in projecting the balls to a certain ball-dro formed in the game board whereby the all will be projected along a tally'board to drop into an opening therein and accumulate a score, means'being provided in the game board whereby when the balls over-shoot the drop which leads to the tally board they will be automatically returns to a suitable ball pocket for fur ther use.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully comprehend the underlying features of my invention, that they may embody, the same in the various modifications in structure and relation contemplated, a drawing depicting a preferred form has been annexed as a part of this disclosure and 1n such drawingsimilar reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout all so arranged that one or play the same in compeof the views of which Figure game board constructed in accordance with my invention, and showin the runway along which a ball is adapted to be projected to a suitable drop which opens on to a t same are returned liability of the same scoring,-

1 is a view in perspective of thealso'shown the re balls whereby the score board, there being ceptacle for over-shot to be used over again.

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and shows the lon itudinal sectional arrangement of the game oard.

Figure 3 isa section taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2,'showing the board in cross section and the arrangement of the ball returning slide associated therewith, and, Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional detail of a portion of the tally board and ball retainin slides to show the arrangement of the e ectric contact associated with said to a suitable ball pocket slide for lighting the lights selectively to indicate the score.

Referring to the drawing in detail 5 indicates the bottom of the game board construction which is held in spaced relation with the ground and in obliquely disposed position between the side pieces 6 which side pieces at their front end are reduced in eight and are bent around to form the front wall or end of the game device, the front end being indicated as at 7 and confining the game balls 8 in a depressed portion 9 in the front of the bottom member 5 which constitutes a return runway for balls that have been over shot and do not score.

The rear end of the bottom 5 is curved upwardly as at 10 and abuts against the rear wall 11 of the ame board, said rear wall 11 being rovi ed with a screen 12 which is adopte to prevent rebound of over shot balls which have been projected down the alley. or runway to be hereinafter referred to. The upper edge of the backboard 11. 'sprovided with a lurality of electric li ht bulbs 13 under w ich on the back-board are painted the score numerals as shown. Each of these bulbs 13 are connected in circuit with one of the openings in a tally board which is en ported in spaced relation to the bottom 5 o This tally board is rovided with a plurality of staggered openings 14; and the board itself 15 is formed at its rear end with the wall 16 which bounds a drop or chute con-' struction 17 throu h along the runway rop to roll out upon tally board andlnto the openings 14.

The tally board adjacent each of the openings 14 is provided with obstructions which may be in any in the nature of head members 17 which are which balls projected form but as shown are,

the game board. 7

the:

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14 of the secured in any suitable manner to the tally board and in position to interfere with' the clear passage of the ball as-it rolls towards the front edge of the tally board. These obstructions are arranged so that they tend to kee the balls from rolling directly into the ho es thereby making. it more dlfiicult for the player to score. The tally board 15 may be sloped slightly toward the front of the game board or it may be levelled so that the rear curved portion 15 thereof will give impetus to balls striking the same so that they will roll we? the tally board and into the openings 14.

It is readily seen that should the ball pass over the tally board without entering any of the o enings 14 it will drop off of the front of t e board and strike the bottom 5 and roll against the spring closed door 8*- which opens into the receptacle 9 at the front of the game board, or the dotted line 19 indicates the path taken by a ball which is overshot from the, ball runway or alley 20 which is disposed longitudinally of and at the center of the game board and is supported at its front and rear ends on the front apron piece'2l and rear supporting wall22. This supporting wall 22 forms together with the extended portions of the sides 6 a box-like rear end which forms the well hereinbefore referred to into which the balls take the course as indicated by the dotted line 19, when they over-shoot the opening 23 provided at the rear end of the runway 20. Balls are kept in the runway by suitable side pieces 24 to which are attached the brackets 5 which support there between a suitable wire member 26 upon which are slidably mounted the counting beads 27 upon In order to maintain the ball in the opening 14 until after a complete set has been discharged, as one chance or" the operab tor playing the same, I provide a slide mem- I d r 28 in the tally board 15 whichis slidable in the members 29 disposed at the side edges of said slide 28 and secured in an suitable manner to the underside of the telly board 15. This slide member at one side of the game device projects through the side wall handle 31 so that the same can be drawn upon against the action 32 which connects the slide 28 and one of the side walls 6, the drawing upon the ham dle 31 causing movement of the slide in a direction which will remove the contact associated with the slide 28 and allow the balls to drop through the opening 33 in the slide. ese openings being normally positioned out of alignment with the opening 14 in the tally board, but being brought into alignment therewith when the slide is drawn out, whereby the ball resting in the openin tally board will. fall through the 'ried on by adding the which the tally may be kept.

6 as at 30 and is provided with a of the coiled spring.

slide and strikin the bottom 5 of the," game board will ro down said bottom when oor 8" is opened and into the receptacle 9 from which the may be collected again for replay. In or er ,to 1i ht the score lights which are disposed on the back-board 11 of the game device I suitably insulate from the slide 28 but secure thereto the contact finger34 which is positioned below the extended yieldable arm 35 which is likewise connected to the slide and whose yieldable end is positioned in the opening 14 whereby when a ball comes to rest in said opening it will depress the arm 35 until the same makes contact with the finger 34 to close the electrical circuit to cause the score light corresponding to the number on the opening into which the ball has dropped to light. A set of these contact fingers are positioned beneath each of the openings 14 and are carried by the slide, and it is apparent that when a ball comes to rest at number two opening, number two light will light up and will remain lighted until the slide 30 has been drawn outwardly to allow the ball to drop there-through to the bottom 5.

It is evident, therefore, that by projecting a number of balls down the runway through the use of the cue 36, and by using skill the ball which is dropped through the opening 23 at the rear end of the runway will arrive at the tally board and score a number of points for the player. If desirable, the balls can'be numbered, and the score can be can number-on the balls and the number designating the value of the opening 14 in the tally board into which the ball dropped. Many variations of the score may be had in this manner, and it is to be distinctly understood thatI am not limited to the use of any particular number of balls,

and while I'have shown an arrangement emodying' seven Openings in the tally board, 0 not wish to be limited to any specific number of openings, as any number might just aslwell be used to carry out the feature y of the game.

It is also to be understood that ball pocket 9 formed at the frontof the game device can be embodied in the game device at the side thereof so that when the device is used on counters at summer resorts the attendant behind the counter will have access only to the balls and provide the player with them according to the amount that he pays for.

While I have shown an electrical scoring device in connection with the game board, it is to be understood that this may be dispensed with if desired and accounts taken by the player or an attendant as the score is 125 tallied.

While I hays illustrated and described my invention with some degree of particularity,

g I realize that in practice various alterations therein may bemade. I, therefore, reserve the right and privilege of chan ng the form of details of construction, or ot erwise altering the arrangement of the correlated parts adjacent each of said designations, and

means in the board 0 enings for operating the illuminating member at the designation corresponding to that of said opening.

2. A game device comprising a plurality of superposed ball receiving members, a ball runway along which a. ball is projected having an opening at oneend thereof, a backboard spaced from the end of said runway,

a screen in said backboard, one of the ball re,- ceiving members constituting a horizontally disposed score board being approached through said opening and the other member constituting a horizontally disposed ball return being approached through the space between the end of the runway and the backboard and a slide member associated with said score board for dropping the balls to said ball return [member and a pocket at the end of, said ball return member.

' 3. A game device comprising a runway having an o ening therein and along which v a ballis pro ected, side walls on the runway for guiding a ball, counters arranged in position on the runway whereby scores may be recorded, a backboard, a rebound reventing screen in said backboard against which balls are projected off the runway, said backboard being spaced from the end of said runway to constitute a well into which non-scoring balls drop, a horizontal board beneath said runway, access to which is had through the bottom in the game evice constitu return, access to which is had through said well, a slide associated with said tally board, means in the tally board and in the slide for allowing balls to fall therethrough to the bottom and a receptacle in said bottom for the accumulation of balls that have been used in play, and an electrically operated tally means in said slide.

4. A game device comprising a ball runtzpening in the runway, ating a all way having an opening in one end thereof,

a well adjacent one end of the runwa for the reception of overshot balls, a tally ard having openings therein approached through said opening, a ball returning board a proached through said well, a ball receptacie, a door for preventing the balls from rolling into said receptacle, a slide having openings therein arranged under the tall board, electrical contacts constituting bal supporting members arranged in part of the openings in said slide and adapted to be normally positioned beneath the openings in the tallyboard to register the score, and the unoccupied part of the slide openings being arranged to allow passage therethrough of balls after the score has been tallied.

7 In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. 7

CHARLES ESMARIAN. [n 5.] 

